White House: Israel Showed Bad Manners in Canceled Trip

Politico reports: The White House chided Israel on Tuesday for the way it canceled a meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it would have been “good manners” for Israeli officials to tell the White House directly.

“If they weren’t able to make the meeting they should have just told us before they told the reporter,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said during a press briefing. “I think it’s just good manners.”

“Our preference would have been to just handle this privately,” he said later.

The two world leaders had planned to meet in March when Netanyahu came to Washington, not only to consult with Obama but also to attend the annual meeting of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group.